By Andrew Ganz

Saturday, Jul 6th, 2013 @ 9:01 am

As part of its plan to revive struggling Opel in Europe, General Motors has confirmed that it will push the brand upmarket.

That doesn't necessarily mean that Opel will become a BMW and Mercedes-Benz rival, but it might take a slightly more upscale approach than Volkswagen.

GM has said in the past that it is looking to make Opel and its American Buick division more integrated, which means buyers in Europe should expect to see the Detroit-based automaker carve out something of a new niche for Opel in Europe.

Still, analysts admit that GM's plan for Opel is "still kind of in flux."

In Opel's place, GM will push Chevrolet - which it is quickly expanding as a global brand - as its entry-level division in Europe.

Opel will remain primarily concentrated in Europe but with outposts in Asia, Australia and Latin America. Opel, which GM acquired in the early part of the 20th century, was long thought to be on the chopping block given its weak financial performance in Europe, but the automaker has decided instead to invest heavily in the brand. GM routinely taps Opel to help engineer global products.